Naomi Cordell is a seasoned teacher. For 36 years she taught US History and English at Attleboro High School in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Then she decided to retire. But with her immeasurable energy and passion for learning and travel, Naomi could not just sit back and relax. To the contrary, she pursued adventure, traveling the world and continuing to provide high school students with valuable learning experiences.

Having traveled with student groups as a chaperone for years and then finally as a group leader herself, Naomi had lots of experience in educational travel. At the time she retired, Explorica was a brand new company and she decided to check it out. “I was looking for the best value at the best price,” she says. “And then I called up and got Rich on the phone and we hit it off right away”. Happy with the itineraries and Explorica’s extreme value, Naomi booked a tour to Spain.

These days, Naomi’s tour groups are more popular than ever and are running at capacity. “We’ve got huge numbers,” she says. “Sometimes 100 kids show up for a meeting, and I can’t take them all”. In such a case, Naomi contacts the students’ teachers with regard to behavior and maturity level. When she makes her final cut, not all her travelers are honor students. “It’s nice to have a diverse group. And sometimes it’s the kids who aren’t the academic stars who get the most out of the experience”.

In fact, Naomi hears some wonderful feedback. For many students, the experience changes their lives. Naomi’s own son, who has traveled with her groups, considers the tours to be life-changing. “They’ve given him a whole new view of the world,” she says. And she knows it’s true for any traveler. “The opportunity to see new places, try new foods, hear different languages and meet a variety of people is a great way to enrich your life”. She also feels incredibly satisfied to be bringing the opportunity to young students, some of whom may not have the chance to travel otherwise. Her retirement is truly productive. Not to mention, she’s thoroughly enjoying herself.

Perhaps it’s because she knows how to make the most of each tour. Since she travels frequently to Spain, Switzerland and France, countries where students can practice the French or Spanish they study at school, Naomi is by now familiar with which attractions she wants her students to see. Although she is retired, she is still very much a teacher and her agenda is very academic. And having taught for 36 years, she’s quite familiar with high school curriculum and can weave plenty of lessons into the itinerary. She makes sure to highlight attractions that coincide with the students’ coursework, and has even customized her own Best of Europe tour for 2008.

For example, since many students at Attleboro High School read Byron’s famous poem, The Prisoner of Chillon, Naomi includes Switzerland’s Chateau Chillon on her itinerary. “It’s a fantastic castle,” she says. “And the kids get really into it. They see the chains in the dungeon—the exact scene they’ve read about in their books—and see Bryon’s name carved in the wall. It’s so dramatic”. Another Swiss city on Naomi’s must-see list is Montreaux. While Lucerne is typically the preferred Switzerland destination, Naomi loves Montreaux and substituted it on the itinerary. “There’s a lot to see, she explains. Montreaux is charming. And even though I’ve been there before, it’s different every time because I see it through the students’ eyes. Plus there’s actually a statue of Queen front man, Freddie Mercury, in the city center”. Apparently an area of the city caught fire during a concert, and the statue was erected to commemorate the wild night. “The kids love it,” she says. “It has the cool factor”.

But not everything on Naomi’s itineraries includes the cool factor. Some things they do with a touch of reluctance. For example, Naomi insists the students eat fondue in Switzerland, even though they complain the renowned cheeses are “stinky”.  “You can’t go to Switzerland and not eat the cheese!” Naomi exclaims. Then once, on tour in Venice, she brought the kids to a Catholic Mass on Easter Sunday. She didn’t require them to stay, just to go in and take in the scene. The scene was actually quite remarkable, as the Cardinal performing the Mass was one of those nearly selected to be Pope. “Their parents were amazed I was able to get them to mass!” she exclaims. “Let alone stumble onto that special service. It was a very authentic cultural experience”.

With such seasoned experience as a teacher and Group Leader, Naomi offers some practical advice for new Group Leaders. “Organization, organization, organization,” she says. “Have a system, either Explorica’s web-site or your own. Preparedness is the best thing you can bring with you on tour”.  Naomi also likes to remind Group Leaders to be pro-active. “It’s not Explorica’s tour, it’s not the Tour Director’s tour. It’s your tour. Be innovative, speak up and take charge”. That’s what Naomi does and it’s exactly why her tours are so successful. Without a doubt, Naomi Cordell is a tour de force.